🔴🎥WADR INFO CHEZ VOUS TROSIEME EDITION 22/05/2026

Added: 2026-05-23

[00:00:00]gentlemen, >> it's time to embrace a youthful mind mindset and envision your future.

[00:00:10]>> Take the lead. The lead is in your world.

[00:00:13]>> Take the lead is in your world.

[00:00:15]>> This platform serves as a space for engagement designed to equip young people to become effective leaders. They are actively contributing creatively engaged and determined in various fields. And now this is take the lead.

[00:00:43]Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. This quote is from former US President Barack Obama. It means rejecting non-participation or realizing or waiting for other generations political leaders or a perfect time to fix societal problems will never work. It places the responsibility and power for building a better future directly into the hands of the young people. This is how we welcome you to take the lead on West Africa Democracy Radio, your youth engaging platform for insightful discussions all about young people in West Africa, in Africa and the world at large. I am Augustine Curley and today's edition focuses on implementable measures to ensure young people are financially disciplined in entrepreneurship or their small businesses. as you may term it. Together we are concerned about how youth can properly manage their finis while implementing their little initiatives.

[00:01:58]Those of you in the Yopugokon district of Abijan as well as in Bamako Nyame Wakadugu are following from around the central Sahel region or all the way dead in Cottonon. Join us now and share your ideas or questions right in our comment sections on the live Facebook and YouTube channels at W AR English. We will read them out loud and clear. Today I have with me in studio A Paulin Tri and Pauling is a young entrepreneur.

[00:02:33]She's also the CEO of the Yadipal Swell and it is an agri food company producing natural spices and you know what that means. Many of you love to eat good foods and you know to wear some good clothes and and just do things that please you and so we have AA in the house today. She will be telling us more about her agri food company and how she's managing it through financial means including the challenges. So welcome Pauling. How are you doing?

[00:03:02]>> I'm good. What about you?

[00:03:04]>> I am fine and I'm happy to have you with us in uh the studio today. How is it going with you and the company?

[00:03:11]>> We are doing great. We are surviving as all entrepreneurs now.

[00:03:16]>> Uh I'm Ajapolene CEO of Yadipal as you said and I'm really honored and excited to be here with the t the lead and talking about this crucial topic which is financial discipline. We all know that like great ideas start businesses but to have a sustainable business you have to be financially disciplined. So that's a crucial topic and I really want to debate on it >> and and and you said you want to debate on it. It's it's quite crucial as a young person uh to be financially disciplined and you're running a whole company. There's a lot to talk about how you are financially uh managing those u of your staff, your customers, the profits that come in, the expenditures.

[00:03:59]There's a lot to look at, but we are pleased to have you with us and please feel free to uh explain what you've experienced throughout uh your business venture. Next is Abdul Karen Kote and Abdu is with the ladies myself I'm with them so don't leave me now Abdu but uh Abdu is the fun of Jas and he's also a language translator he's right here with us in studio how are you doing Abdu >> I'm doing fantastic and uh very happy to be here with you guys >> okay what is this JTAS >> it's just the translation and interpretation company global interpreting translation trading services. So also doing logistic related translation aspect if you need like catering transportation we also uh doing that. Yes. So it's not only translation but there are other uh conx um services that we're doing at the same time.

[00:04:56]>> And relating to finances I mean uh something that you really explain to the the listening publics and the viewers out there. How is it related to um finances that you manage? Are you managing your own finances with this or are you also managing people's finances as you translate these uh goods and services to people? But we are glad to have you with us. Welcome.

[00:05:17]>> Thank you.

[00:05:18]>> And of course it's a pleasure to have another female with us uh in the studio.

[00:05:23]She's Sinabui and Sinabu is a student of political science and global studies.

[00:05:30]She's also working as a tech specialist.

[00:05:33]Well the wow. How are you doing Sinabu?

[00:05:35]Welcome. Hello, Austin. I'm good. I'm good. I'm very good. Are >> you sounding like a Sagal American?

[00:05:41]What's happening? Do you have some time out of Sagal?

[00:05:44]>> Yes. I'm actually originally from the US, right? So, I'm here on vacation. It was like an extended vacation cuz I was here since December, I think, and my uh flight got kind of got cancelled.

[00:05:56]Therefore, yeah. So, I decided to stay for a few more months, but I'll be going back soon.

[00:05:59]>> I think it was meant for you to be on the show again.

[00:06:01]>> Yeah, I think I think that's what it was.

[00:06:03]>> Do you have some lingu? Uh yeah.

[00:06:07]>> Yeah, I do.

[00:06:07]>> What is the link?

[00:06:08]>> The Well, I have a bunch of family here.

[00:06:11]Okay.

[00:06:11]>> Um I have a lot of friends. I kind of grew up here. I was here for around eight years before going back. Yeah. But I was originally born in the US.

[00:06:18]>> Yeah.

[00:06:18]>> Welcome. I mean you can tell us more about your uh tech technicality and the work you do and also maybe a little bit about your studies and how you view Africa since you also look at some global studies and uh financially how you managing your studies and maybe your little tech work you're doing in terms of the little resources how are you managing it to keep it up but we are glad to have you with us and we cannot say we feel good because your your flight was cancelled but we feel happy that we have you here because your it was cancelled.

[00:06:49]>> Yes, I'm very glad that it was cancelled actually.

[00:06:52]>> All right, so um we will try to have with us a financial or an economist who is a Joshua BM. He's from Nigeria uh to provide a little insights into financial discipline. We will endeavor doing the show to have him with us. Plus you, our amazing listeners and viewers, together we can make this better. But before we begin, let's remind you that financial discipline among youth, especially in West Africa is mixed. Why the drive to succeed is high. Systemic barriers and cultural spending or pressures often hinder traditional savings habits. Why the systemic environment makes it challenging to maintain rigic like western style disciplines. Our West African youths are actively adopting to digital era to build what we call robust communitybacked financial resilience.

[00:07:47]And these are things that we are seeing around through digital entrepreneurship.

[00:07:52]Well, let's get a summary of how young people in West Africa need to financially manage their businesses as they go along. And my colleague Emmore Edit provides the details. West Africa now boasts of over 4 million formal small and medium enterprises also known asmemes a vast but fragile pool of potential according to data from the 2026 compliance barometer for the webu region nearly 70% of these businesses do not have accounting practices that comply with the regional rules of sys kohada the single mandatory accounting fra businesses in several African countries the A symptom of this lack of rigor is the confusion of accounts. Too often, business money is mixed with family money. As a result, the entrepreneur believes they are wealthy because the coffers are full only to find themselves unable to pay their suppliers. Yet, the regional economic context is promising with average projected growth of around 6%. But to capture this wealth and attract banks, goodwill alone is no longer enough. Anme that presents Anme that presents certified financial statements doubles its chances of obtaining financing.

[00:09:08]Financial discipline is therefore no longer optional or the preserve of large corporations. This is the price to pay to move out of the informal sector, stabilize jobs and transform entrepreneurial momentum into a true engine of development. Well, thanks to IMO Edit for bringing us uh details of what it means to be uh financially stable or financially uh acquainted with what's happening around you and your business to also ensure that you proceed rightly and that you don't just begin today and tomorrow you are complaining of finances or you know in terms of profits and then the business goes down the drain.

[00:09:54]We have our young people in studio already uh Pauling with this agrid food company but firstly tell us about uh why you engage into such an entrepreneurship and uh what's the motivation before coming to why you chose um like iteries why you decide to go in the agricultural field to produce some food or spices for people >> okay I you know you all know that in Africa we need leaders and We need some agri food leaders to be here and lead our companies and also to transform whatever you have. For example, in Africa, we produce a lot of foods in agriculture, but we don't know how to transform it and we just import from other countries that and we can do it by ourself. So why not coming and do it by ourel and selling for our people and that was a great um for for me that was the mission for me to transform our agriculture into food that we can do. So it's from us to us so it's going to be a long chain that we going to provide. I think >> it's going to be a long-term support and you want um let's let's look at the finances. How did you begin with this?

[00:11:16]Where did you get the finance from >> you know and how did you start the whole process?

[00:11:21]>> I can thank to my parents because they financially disciplined me for all of that. So I can just thank them for all of this. And I know the things that they gave me were so important and it was like start little. You have always to start little. And if you learn how to manage 1,000, you can learn how to manage one million. And if you start by little, you can make mistakes. And this mistakes, you can go through it. And when you learn how to go through all of this, I think it's going to be easier when you go to manage 1 million or something like that. So I can thanks to my parents for that. And I think it's important as the to know that the health is not an inconvenience. It's not a disadvantage. But impatience is so you have to learn by when you're young and making mistakes and after that you're going to go through it and managing all other things.

[00:12:15]>> Okay, great. That's interesting. But let's hear from uh Abdu.

[00:12:20]>> How is it with the GTA?

[00:12:23]>> Well, uh translation company and interpretation. So uh for me just uh we providing services uh services uh that we providing also among other things catering and transportation for our customers if they need it and uh reservations in the hotels we can facilitate that so basically that's uh what I am in small company you know step by step baby step and trying to be just uh doing it uh being aware of the financials and uh how you know it can be impacting our our business. The and how also the ecosystem is kind of putting uh barriers uh to it's just a reality the barriers and other things. It's just systemic. We don't learn the financial discipline at school, not at home. You know, you just get to a point where you you you you know, you don't know about it and you have to learn about it in order to better manage your your company and just try to survive.

[00:13:26]>> So, how did you finance this your idea?

[00:13:29]Well, uh um I was working for other people, other companies, you know, as translator, interpreter, and at some point I started my own things and uh um I have all my paperworks. I pay my taxes and other things. And you start just bidding here and there, sending um vendor registration requests to entities like uh the the African Union or can be NOS's. You can send also to uh companies here in Sagal to ministries. just send uh vendor registrations, they can contact you and they have something and you just bid if you happen to have the best price. You know, you're the lucky one and you just have to to to get the job done, provide quality services.

[00:14:11]>> I want to get that exciting moment from you um when you first got maybe a contract for this your organization. How was it like? I mean you you're happy because you know it's like your own money like you're not working for somebody else because when you work for yourself and you making that money it's just the pride you're feeling and that feeling you have is just something else.

[00:14:34]So winning a contract or some something like that just you're happy about it and you want to you hungrier you want to win more you want to make more money. So, and well, it's it will all come down to how you manage that money also because winning uh bidding and being awarded the the the the the business.

[00:14:55]>> It's later it is about how you going going to manage the money.

[00:14:59]>> Okay. Let's also hear from Senu who's right here in studio with us. uh cineamu I know you are a student but uh the side of your uh technology uh specialism is is something that we want to talk about.

[00:15:14]How did you get involved into uh digital work and how is it a personal initiative of yours?

[00:15:22]>> So as you probably know political science and tech has nothing to do with each other. So it was a completely random decision. Um, I was in need of a job, a student job while doing uh my school work and it was it was the job with the most money. I'm not going to lie to you. So, I was like, "Okay, let me let me go try it out." I have I know nothing about tech, but it's it's something that I can learn very easily and I'm very quick at um adapting and stuff. Therefore, I was like, "Okay, yeah, I'll just go try it out." And as the time went on, I kind of learned a few things. Um, and being a tech specialist, well, the the kind of tech specialist I am specifically is I don't know if you guys have been to concerts or anything, but the lights and the electricity, anything behind the scenes is it's me.

[00:16:09]>> Yeah. So, that's that's my specialty when it comes to that. Um, yeah. So, it took a lot of learning, but you know, we're here now.

[00:16:16]>> Um, I'm actually really experienced now, which I never thought I would get to this point. Yeah. But then, but then it's it's exciting to know that uh you do these things, people are excited, but they don't know who's doing it.

[00:16:28]>> Exactly. I think Yeah, I think it's a bigger job to be behind the scenes, you know. It's really easy to stay in front of people, you know, sing, dance, whatever, but it's really hard. It's really stressful to be outside, you know. It's like anything if anything goes wrong, it's your fault, you know.

[00:16:42]So, it's it's a very big day every time there's like a concert at my at my job.

[00:16:47]How long does it take you to to have this work being done as a young person given the fact that it's a concert? Oh, wow. You need time to set up. Yes. Uh sometimes we see these disco lights.

[00:17:00]Sometimes we see the this the stage they're changing in terms of uh you know furniturees or other things in the split of second. The whole stage is so different. If it was green, red and white sometimes we're not seeing some kind of black. who's seeing some kind of you know yellow colors and it's it's happening in the split of seconds >> and as a young person isn't that a double fold job that gives you a lot of time takes away your studies hours >> so when I first started it was very hard for me to balance the two just because like it depends on the kind of concert because it depends like there's there's few the there's few concerts that are like small so it's like oh if you probably you probably need like three days maximum minimum. While when there's big concerts, like you said, like just taking care of the stage and and stuff, that probably takes two weeks and that did take a big toll on my my studies.

[00:17:55]But as time goes on, you have to learn how to balance. You know, it's that's that's just how life is. You're going to have two jobs. Sometimes you're going to have school and work. And I just I just kind of disciplined myself to be able to kind of put the two together.

[00:18:09]>> Yeah, >> that's interesting. We'll get back to you for more. But because we are looking at financial discipline, let's now get into the full swing of this discussion.

[00:18:20]The agate food company Lady Pauland uh how would you consider financial discipline as you you know carry out this your initiative? You know, being financial discipline in this country is really hard because the hardest part is hard to say no for things to budgetize things and going with people. It's not as easy as it looks like. But you have to focus on your opinion and focus on your goals I can say and budgetize everything. You have to turn out your vision into you have to monetize your vision. That's the word. and you know that you're going through too many things and it's not only you, it's you, it's your employees, it's your staff, it's everything around the business. So you know that every friend have to be on purpose. So if you're not financially disciplined, you will know that you going to you don't you will not going to have an sustainable business. So you're forced to if you want to for you.

[00:19:23]>> Okay. But there's something about uh managing your personal fund >> and that of your business fund.

[00:19:31]>> Yeah.

[00:19:32]>> How do you do that?

[00:19:33]>> I think that that's the I think that's the most important part. When you have a business, you don't have to bring that money into your personal account. The first thing is to separate it. You separate your personal account to your uh business account.

[00:19:48]>> So they are all for you now.

[00:19:50]>> No, it's not for me.

[00:19:51]>> Oh, it's not for you.

[00:19:52]>> No, it's not. How?

[00:19:53]>> Cuz it's not for me only, >> okay?

[00:19:55]>> I have other things. I have other stuff.

[00:19:57]I have all this ecosystem that live around this business.

[00:20:00]>> So, it's not just for me.

[00:20:02]>> The one in my personal account is for me cuz I'm a japoline. I can do whatever I want with it. Okay. But if I go through with my business account and I'm doing anything about that with that, >> I'm going to make them. I think when you don't have money, you you're going to you're not happy, right?

[00:20:20]>> It's the same for me. M I can't live without money. So imagine just a thousand thousand people that will don't that don't have money just like that. It will be a bunch of unhappy people I think if if they are like me.

[00:20:35]>> Well that's right. We'll get back to you. I see Abdul nodding his head. You want to tell us about uh you know in terms of recognizing financial discipline in the first place? How how would you describe that as you uh in in the context of what you do? How do you financially discipline yourself? Uh and then how do you separate your own finances from uh the personal gutters you know business finances?

[00:21:02]>> It is the hardest part but I believe it is the most important part. Uh your money is your money but the business money is not is not yours because the business money is related to other things. you have other people that you work with or other people that works for you. So uh consider for instance the business money or the business finance as a separate entity that needs to be fed and uh like she said like you need to have different uh uh accounts for it even different phone number for it and uh need to make the different profit you're making cashing in cashing out because you need to be aware that there will be expenses right so uh you need to have the rule of uh 50 30 20.

[00:21:54]>> So when you when you make money, when you make profit, think of it as it you're going to pay yourself last but also you be going to be aware of the uh uh operation cost.

[00:22:04]>> So people you have to pay the rent uh um the bill those this takes fun 30%.

[00:22:11]>> So that's 50 >> there's 50 left that 50 can be reinvested in the business. So that's what we call in entrepre entrepreneurship the 50 30 uh 20 uh uh rule which just uh uh the business you doing the money you reinvesting and also the operating costs are the primary and you come last.

[00:22:32]>> So you take yourself off the paycheck you are the last person to benefit.

[00:22:38]>> Absolutely. How how does that come into play for many young people who um looking for finances to support their businesses or to maybe I'm doing this business to support my education does that work in the 50 30 20 factors you're talking about >> very difficult to do but I mean if like that's where the discipline comes >> sometimes you have to prevent yourself from certain things and sometime you have to prevent your family from certain things because you have to see it in the long term If you prevent your family for instance 50k this month >> but that 50k you invested in your business that will generate 200k then your family in the upcoming month can benefit from it. So you have to see it in a way that it's a long term and sometimes you just have to you know uh uh prevent certain things uh to to avoid like putting that money into giving in the family or >> so you will be denying certain priorities for the priorities.

[00:23:38]>> Absolutely the priorities you have to limit them. I mean we're not like Coca-Cola we're not like Nestle or those businesses. that I'm not advertising but like we're not that level yet and we like going step by step so you have to limit the profit and the benefits uh to yourself but also for the family too because it's a long term and they will fill it once you you you becoming successful once you have more more money >> so that's where the discipline comes >> interesting uh to you senu the the little finances I don't want to ask when was the last or the first time you maybe held your career money or let's say after learning digital arts and then your first job your first salary how did you manage it perhaps it could be a trailblazer for us to understand how you manage that and experience to from you how did they go did you just lavage it little before realizing oh I just I just lost some good money in few days in few weeks can you share that experience with us anyway >> um So when I had my first job, I was extremely young, right? I think I was what, 16, 17. So it was really early on and I haven't developed the maturity to be able to save. So as soon as I got I think it was like maybe $200 maximum and I thought it was a lot of money. I bought a lot of clothes. I just did a lot of things with it. right now. I definitely regret doing all that, but I was I was really happy because at that point I I almost stopped going to school. I was like, "Yeah, okay. I'm starting to get money." I thought I thought it was a lot. So, you know, I just I just kept going with that. But I quickly got back to the school thing realizing that this is not a career.

[00:25:25]This is not what I want for myself. Even to this day, like I don't think that I've hit like the career that I want.

[00:25:31]Like my my goal paycheck I haven't received yet. Um I hope I'll receive it soon. But um yeah. Yeah. So the first experience was obviously in the moment it was it was great but now looking back at it I could have done something way more useful with that.

[00:25:46]>> You could have done something way more useful with that.

[00:25:50]>> Yes.

[00:25:51]>> How did the you know quick reminder come? Were you being told by someone or it was selfexperienced?

[00:26:00]>> It was self-experienced and I actually don't think it came like it wasn't that long ago when it came. Because um as far as like creating businesses and stuff, I've tried I love money, you know. I if I see that this business will bring me money, I'm going to try to do it. And I've had a few failed ones. And the main thing I was lacking in that aspect would be the financial discipline, right? So I think I would be a great example as to um the the young people who can't really manage their money well. So um after those few failed businesses I kind of took a step back and I was like all right like you need to know what the problem is and my problem was the spending you know with the so societal pressures you know people telling you oh you should buy this you should do that >> once the money comes in it's like you somehow you have to start realizing that building a business and getting money from it isn't hard it's sustaining the wealth that is actually where the problem starts, you know. So, that's something that I had to learn really quickly and I think I'm actually starting to relearn that and soon I'll I'll get right back to it. But, I had to take a few steps back and kind of review what I was doing and try to see uh how I can improve basically.

[00:27:12]>> Yeah. Before I get to polling, uh have you have you realized uh understanding your personal spending from that of your tech specialist work you do and the finances you use separately for that?

[00:27:26]>> Yeah. So, I definitely started um separating the two. I opened up a few bank accounts because um you know, as you grow up, you get more responsibilities and stuff. So, it's like you're forced to be more financially mature. Um so, with those accounts, I have things that I do for my personal life, right? But that's like the last priority, right? So, first I kind of want to focus on my needs instead of my wants. Um, you know, as as you get responsibilities, you know, you have to pay for what? Car insurance, there's rent, there's water, there's electricity. So, I'm kind of like focused on the things that I have to do first. So, once that money's in there and I'm cool, the rest of it is it goes to wants cuz sometimes, you know, you want to live your life. You want to go on weekends out with your friends, restaurants, or whatever. So, I definitely had to learn the difference between like my business money versus my personal money. But it has helped me a lot to kind of differentiate my wants and needs.

[00:28:25]>> One thing it's it's it's something to realize it's about managing debt. And sometimes as young people we have friends and like Abdul was saying family pleasure and someone will say maybe my business partner is asking to credit him or her some 100k or maybe less than 40k and I I'm going to pay back Abdul please give me that money and I'll pay back next week. I just want to add it on to my business. I want to order online quickly and right now I don't need the time. I don't have the time to go to the bank and do this. Can you and then before you look uh another person asks you for for a little credit but these are trusted maybe business partners you have or to some extent it is just your friend your close friend and it is just difficult for this person to ask you for financial assistance and you do that but the person believe and you look this is my business and you know this is how I'm running that you're going to pay me back oh yes I will do that but then it doesn't come how do you manage these debts and the recovery of them to ensure uh that because these are all financial disciplinary um attributes that we we need to consider. How do you do that to refill the gaps that you create as a result of debt?

[00:29:42]>> First of all, I don't have gaps. You don't have gaps.

[00:29:44]>> Yes, that's my mindset. You know, since I I start earning money, my dad told me you have to separate it in three buckets. The one it's like business. The one going to be for all your operating cost uh your living your rent something like that. The other one going to be for emergency. So it's going to be the same for your personal account. It's going to be for emergency. And the other one it's going to be for reinvesting and for it's it's personal. It's going to be for saving. And first of all, I don't have guts because I know that and all people knows in my family that I set limits for that. And I think that's the most important parts. When you have a budget for operating costs, for example, you don't have to go over it just because someone told you it can be difficult, >> but I'm going to help the way that I have, but not going to go over it even if it's difficult. And I know it's difficult. But have you not had um the question of request? Have you not been asked to help maybe a friend or a business partner before?

[00:30:47]>> If it's in online, >> has it has it come from your business?

[00:30:50]>> Yes, it can be >> finances or >> it can be every day you're going to have someone who going to tell you we are in Africa, we have large family. every day you're going to know someone who going to tell you oh I'm in difficult part there is this and this and this >> and that's I don't know how to say it but I don't think that it's a great way just to give them money >> like that if it's not under your budget just say no and we have to learn how to say no I think in this West African countries and but we are giving giving all days you're going to have all days someone who going to tell you I need And you also you need everything all days. I need clothes. I need to be on social media and looking good. Something like that. Every people want that I think. But you have to set set limits and live through your budget and that's the most important thing and that's where discipline is cuz you can't go over your budget.

[00:31:50]>> Okay. Well, it's interesting to know that Pauling has not been faced with such a situation. What's about you Abdu?

[00:31:57]I have um it's hard sometimes for me to say no >> um mostly when it's family but when it's come to my business like my ecosystem the people I'm working with like entrepreneurs like me I know they will get the money so in that case uh uh when they like want to borrow money I will I can give them because I know they will get they can get it back and they will they will pay back but I mean sometimes also it doesn't happen it's not always as planned and sometimes that are also misfor scenes and anything can happen but for me it's just more uh uh like saying no sometimes >> to family and friends which is hard because in my mind it's like what goes around comes around so you need to help people sometimes when you are in a difficult situation you when you ask for help you will be helped even before you ask people can help so uh in my mind like I'm trying to balance those two you know to say no sometimes and sometimes just you know we have to we have to >> you said it it happened to you before but then were you able to recover the finance or if not did it affect you in any way?

[00:33:05]>> I mean I can recover it but maybe too late but or or it might take time and it affect me because like um you have certain things you want to do >> and you don't have the the liquidity you don't have you don't have the money to to do it. So it kind of slow down certain things and being in the that's what kind of hold back a lot of businesses because uh when when talking about cash flow >> so once you when you want to do something you need to have the money for it because you may be providing services that money is coming but is not in your account yet.

[00:33:41]>> But still you need operating uh uh cost right?

[00:33:45]>> So where is that money? So that's why all the time you need to have some type of working capital. Working capital is important when you need to do something it will you know you will do it because you have the the the money and the cash is you know is flowing the the money is available the finance is available for that.

[00:34:02]>> There is this competition especially among young people that uh once Pauling is doing maybe food business and uh I'm also doing food business and Sabu is doing food business. So there is this growing competition to some extent. Now I I want to amplify my work. I want to have that sort of quality. And so maybe I'm lessening the price of my quality of food just as quality as it is >> from the angle of Pauling.

[00:34:35]>> But then Pauling maintains her price level. Uh Sabu maintains her price level. But now for me I have the same quality product but because we are all in competition and I want my goods to sell you know so fast and I lessen my price. Does that any way a form of financial discipline is a positive step or a negative step?

[00:34:56]>> For me it's a negative step like I I like I feel it because but the competition is fierce when it come to interpretation and translation. A lot of interpreters a lot of good interpreters.

[00:35:09]So the competition is is fierce. People will lower lower their prices. They will bid low in order to to to win. You we may be bidding the same thing. You may be bidding the same thing. That person will win and call you. Hey, I have this job. Can you come and and let's do it?

[00:35:26]And he will be paying you less to what you were bidding. So it's I think it's not uh it's it's bad. But for me it's to finding other ways. Like we have the digital aspect, the social media.

[00:35:38]Sometimes you have to be finding other ways of filling in those gaps. I'm I'm coaching. I'm English coach. So I'm finding other ways to generate profit.

[00:35:47]So I'm not only interpreting and translating but also I'm I'm coaching.

[00:35:51]I'm I'm not a teacher. I'm just a coach.

[00:35:54]So helping people to speak English. So you just have to find other ways of filling the gaps because uh doing interpretation only may not be enough.

[00:36:02]So you have as a businessman, as a entrepreneur, you need to have different ways of generating money.

[00:36:08]>> Okay. For you su you, you are into tech uh specialtity. Let's look at how these digital tools can help also financially organize the people's business uh maybe the Finn app uh uh mobile banking or transaction. are you using them in in form to ensure that you are financially stable and how can it help in terms of uh financially uh helping young people who are into entrepreneurship.

[00:36:36]>> So that's one of the reasons why I think um one reason that I think is really important once you start a business and you kind of have a few dollars from it >> is to reinvest. So once you reinvest it, it's important to hire new people, better qualified people, but it's also important to get new technology. It's important to kind of update however your office is going, right? So me personally, I haven't well, we basically use computers and stuff, but once the once we realize that there's more money coming, we we pro we went from Windows the late window the early Windows to late MacBooks, you know. So, so that's like a certain example. We have like the speakers for example, they didn't work that well in the beginning. Now they work a lot better. We have improved in our lights. We've h we've improved in the sound. There's there's a lot of things that we've improved on just upgrading on our technology. And I think it's very important to be able to reinvest in your business when you start getting money. Cuz a lot of people, they start putting it into their own personal things when that's that's not the case.

[00:37:48]cuz you're not where you're at yet, where you want to be. Your goal is you're you're not there. So, it's important to kind of just stay where you are. Kind of see how you can improve and how you can build and have a a better business.

[00:38:01]>> Okay. But are you making use of these financial apps or digital apps so far?

[00:38:06]>> So, yeah, just um them paying you, it goes through the the digit digitally, right? M cuz um there's this really easy way of paying the the employees now where it's like you kind of just put your bank account number and they'll just send you the money at the end of the week, right? So I think that's something that has also improved cuz we first started with um our paychecks, you know, just giving out paycheck. It actually started with cash and then that improved and it started going from cash to paychecks and they once they realized that okay not everyone can go to the bank get the cash paid and all that they started doing the bank account style.

[00:38:48]>> Yeah.

[00:38:48]>> Now um we've we getting some reactions from our uh Facebook page. We will certainly reach out to that uh quickly but it's important to also go around the table with these uh digital uh adaptation into our financial disciplinary actions for you Pauling.

[00:39:05]Are you using these digital apps to maybe ensure because there is this uh belief that if you hold physical cash it's highly likely that you attempted to spend that money very quickly >> then having it maybe in your phone in the bank account. So give us your experience with that.

[00:39:26]>> I think it's it's the opposite for me.

[00:39:28]>> When I have it in my digital account I can just spend it like like that cuz it's really quick. But if I have it in cash, I'm gonna say like, "Oh, I'm gonna be aware about that. Oh, I'm gonna spend this, maybe this or this."

[00:39:41]>> Because uh I think digital things make it make make things more easy.

[00:39:46]>> Okay.

[00:39:47]>> So it's easy just to spend money like that. So you have to budgetize it. You have to make money. And I know now there is too many ways to budgetize and make some accounts. This is for saving. This is for this. This is for this. Even it's very hard for me to do it when I have it in digital because when I see numbers I can say oh I have a lot of money so I have to spend it but if I have it in cash I I'm more conscious about that and I'm going to say wow I'm going to make it easy >> and slow and I think it's the digital way now everything is in digital if I want something today I can have it in one minute and if I have it in cash I'm going to say I have to go there to spend it and that's and it's more difficult for me and I think bud budgetizing is everything at this time.

[00:40:42]>> That's wonderful. Let's hear from you Abdul before we try to look at our live feed. Um I'm using digital but like I'm still questioning if it is the best one or or not because for me I think it would be just uh opening like if you have bank account just to to to deposit the money >> and the hassle of taking a vehicle or riding your bike going to the bank will prevent you from spending the money.

[00:41:09]>> Of course the digital is you know we can't escape it. is is here and uh for instance if I use like one money transfer I don't want to say the name one money transfer app where you can have different like um >> accounts >> accounts >> and then uh I put money like for me it's like 1,000 every day try to put money I'm not like on date I'm not up to date for that but like I put money there which I will not touch >> but when I'm like sure like I need money but I'm sure that money is coming like right away like I can I can like touch a little bit then when the money come I just uh put it back. But for me I think the best solution I because my own experience just put it in the bank because you know the hassle of going to the bank and taking the money or withdrawing the money is hard. So we just going to stay home >> but now you can withdraw it with your other account transfer.

[00:42:01]>> Yes. The other thing is that from the bank with connected to the some money transfer things you can you can still take it. So it's quite hard. It requires real real discipline.

[00:42:11]I think it just comes back to that real discipline and knowing the impact it may have on your business once you spend that money.

[00:42:18]>> Yeah.

[00:42:19]>> But let's look at uh other aspects assets to loan or maybe >> grant >> uh because uh sometimes these businesses or the work we do allow us to either write proposals and also seek finances from companies. Uh how how do you think this is important? If you you think it's important in terms of managing and also improving or boosting your your financial capability or capacity in terms of your your company expanding to other regions or other countries, it's advisable that you seek financial loans, financial grants. And when these mornings come and sometimes they are coming in box based upon your sacrifices and you've just been awarded $20,000 you know for the first time in your life and you're like wow. So tell me is is it something that uh different from the way you initially manage your finances when you started the business or this time around it comes to different approach for you as Zabu. So, I think once you start loaning, >> now you're forced to be disciplined, right? Because this is money that you have to give back, right? Um, and I don't think it's as important to start with a loan. I think it's important once you're all the way in and your business has had a start and um, you know, you've you've had a few ups and downs and you know how you would be able to manage the money. Now, there's people who have no idea how businesses go and they start from the very beginning with a big loan, which is a huge mistake in my opinion. I think that it's it's very important to have another job when starting a business. Uh so, you can just save up that money and kind of eventually start with um with whatever else you you need to do on the side, right? But once you're all the way in and you kind of have um more experience, I think it's a lot easier um to be able to loan because it's it's more of a guarantee that you'll pay the money back, right?

[00:44:30]Um but I've noticed like especially with the youth, they might even use that loan for other things, right? And that's that's not really the smartest thing to do. But me personally, I think it is important to start loaning cuz once your business gets to a certain place, you're you have no choice but to loan, right?

[00:44:47]But not in the beginning. Uh if you have your own money, I I would recommend using your own money to kind of reinvent reinvest and get a lot more money.

[00:44:57]Therefore, once you loan it, you'll be surely paying it back.

[00:45:00]>> Okay. Now, um as we're wrapping up, let's go to the Facebook right now. We see uh Jibel Dean Jai says, "I'm with you guys." Uh greetings to Aah Pauling uh a good friend to me and a kudos to my brother Abdul Karim. So proud of seeing you guys discussing this high level topic. Thank you. All right. Um you say my question is how are you dealing with family pressure when you start succeeding in running your company? We know in Africa when your company start you know rising all the relatives and parents will be asking for help. How are you dealing with that? I mean you are right and uh I think Abdul Tra something about that but we will hear from uh Sabbu and of of course Pauling who you recognize but we have honorable Jefferson is also joining us. Madu Kamar is following us. He says hello. Uh Obila says for sure for sure what please tell us uh who said for who said something that you concord with and we will certainly uh um you know read your comment out. Ambassador Darus Kanga say he's following um from Liberia. Okay. So Giro say he shares the opinion of SAU he had taken a loan to start a project that did not work >> and he say uh I'm still paying it.

[00:46:26]Thanks for sharing. All right. Thank you Jibre. Thanks for also sharing your thoughts with us. But uh we're certainly out of time now. So we will just uh get back to our guests in studio. That question is is from one of our online followers. So it's important that we hear you address it in terms of uh getting loan. I think Sabu spoke about that already but let's hear from you Pauling about the loan aspect quickly as we wrap up.

[00:46:50]>> I think as su said loan force you to be disciplined because you you will pay it cash. It's not just they going to give you money and it will be like that. You have to pay it by force. So you have to be disciplined. You have to know where it will go and you should say to your money this is that point you have to go.

[00:47:10]>> And that's the sense of budget. You have to budgetize everything. This you can have great ideas. Great ideas build many businesses. But to have a sustainable b business you have to budget. You have to be disciplined. You have to have many skills that you can learn and you know that loaning is not your money. It's the it's not your money at all. You just earn that money to have a quick things.

[00:47:36]Maybe it going to be quicker. Okay. But you have to manage with manage it well to give it back.

[00:47:43]>> And if it goes to you, you have to manage it, make money and after that give it back.

[00:47:49]>> All right. Well, we thank you for coming. Uh it's always a pleasure. I think we have a very important question that's coming in. Uh someone is asking uh that's my colleague. What are the first financial habits young people should develop especially when they are entrepreneurs and Abdul we can we can begin with you with that.

[00:48:11]>> I would say separate the the finances personal and business finance. Separate separate them first. treat them as two uh uh different entities and one need the finance to survive and without the finance that one will not survive. So that one is critical is crucial which is the business you doing >> separate the money uh and treat it as an entity and make sure like don't touch it >> don't touch it what's your >> so I also agree with that but I would also like to say save >> um as soon as you can start saving start saving because um you'll get to a certain point where with the responsibilities it's going to be really hard to save which don't be scared of saving you know I think a lot of the people, a lot of youth are scared of saving just because they're like, "Oh, so I need $1,000 by this time. It's going to be so hard for me to save it."

[00:49:04]No, no, no. You can separate the the accounts >> and whatever. Even if it's like a dollar per day, you can just put it in eventually, it will come in. This is this is why we're talking about discipline because it's not like whenever you have a a small problem, you should just take something out of the savings. No, no, no. You should think like, okay, I have my personal account and I have my savings account. If your personal account has nothing, then you have nothing. Even if you have millions in that savings account, it's specifically for saving, right? So, I think it's important to start saving from a very young age because once you get to a certain point, you won't even realize how quick the money is coming in.

[00:49:40]>> Yeah.

[00:49:40]>> Yeah.

[00:49:41]>> Well, well, we have to go right now. Uh, it's been a wonderful time with you people. Thank you, Sabu, for coming and we wish you all the best. I know um you might be leaving soon but we will always be together and this is a network we're building. Thank you for coming today. We look forward to discussing with you maybe online when you're in the US and uh we'll keep in touch with you. Thank you for coming today.

[00:50:02]>> Thank you. Thank you for inviting me.

[00:50:03]I'm very uh glad to be here with my peers. I've actually learned a lot today right since yeah since I've had a few problems with my own financial discipline. So thank you for having me.

[00:50:13]Yeah.

[00:50:14]>> Great. And to you Abdu thank you for coming. We will always be in touch with you and we want you here in studio another time.

[00:50:21]>> Thank you. Thank you for having me and also pleasure to share you know uh this moment with this wonderful lady these queens or linger as you would like to to to call it and just I mean anytime >> okay >> let me know.

[00:50:35]>> All right great and to you Pauline would you like to say as we take leave of you thank you for coming today.

[00:50:41]>> Thanks for having me. I think it was a great moment to share with you all of this. And I think that financial discipline all knows that you can learn it. So it's not just by talent. It's you can learn. It's something that you can learn. So it's so important for every to know it to know it. And thank you for having me today.

[00:50:59]>> Well listeners and viewers, this is where we shut the door on this edition of Take the Lead on West Africa Democracy Radio 94.9 FM and YouTube at WADR Anglitch. Of course, wadro.org.

[00:51:14]I am Augustine Bill Curley. It's been a pleasing pleasure having you with us today. Join us next Friday for another live episode of this program. But remember to take the lead in shaping the discourse for the betterment of young people in Africa. I talk to you another time.

[00:51:34]We thank you for listening to this program in Nigeria on Darling FM 107.3 or Southeast.